Practical, NZ-specific guides written from the adviser's chair — not the marketing department's. Each piece covers the cliff edges on a single pathway, and points to the directory advisers who handle it. Until full guide pages are published, each entry below summarises the field-note and links into the relevant pathway brief.
Planned topics — pathway briefs already live
The Job Check expires. Accreditation lapses. Your visa lives or dies by both — so the migrant inherits any compliance weakness on the employer side. This guide walks through the public-register checks you can run yourself in fifteen minutes before signing the offer.
Read the pathway brief →The 6-point threshold post-2023 is unforgiving. NZQA assessment is the most common reason a confident applicant misses the bar. Why a structured points-pre-check (cost: a fraction of the full SMC fee) is the single best money you'll spend on this pathway.
Read the pathway brief →INZ assesses whether the relationship is genuine and stable. The documentary case is the case. This guide walks through joint-finances, shared-address, witness-statement and timeline construction — the unglamorous work that makes or breaks a partner application.
Read the pathway brief →Most student-visa declines aren't about the visa — they're about the course. Below-Level-7 study with no post-study work plan is a common own-goal. This guide covers how to brief a Licensed Immigration Adviser before you enrol, not after.
Read the pathway brief →The Green List occupation codes read ambiguously in places, and INZ's interpretation is the only one that matters at decision-time. Why getting written confirmation from INZ on your specific code beats any second-hand interpretation.
Read the pathway brief →Unlicensed immigration advice is illegal in New Zealand under the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007. The IAA public register at iaa.govt.nz/register is the single source of truth. This guide covers exemptions (lawyers, NZ-based community advisers), the search itself, and what to do if you've already paid an unlicensed operator.
Read the pathway brief →Each pathway brief covers who it's for, who it's not, the typical 2026 NZD professional-fee band, the INZ application fee, processing times, and where applications go wrong.
AEWV
Accredited Employer Work Visa
Work visa tied to an INZ-accredited employer who has a Job Check.
Pro fees $1.5k–$3.5k · INZ $870
SMC
Skilled Migrant Category
Points-based residence for skilled migrants — the main residence pathway.
Pro fees $3.5k–$8k · INZ $5,610
Partner
Partner of a New Zealander
Visa via a genuine and stable relationship with an NZ citizen or resident.
Pro fees $2k–$4.5k · INZ $2,710
Student
Student Visa (post-study work pathway)
Study visa with the post-study work-rights pipeline that follows it.
Pro fees $1.2k–$2.5k · INZ $375
Green List / WTR
Work-to-Residence (Green List & Sector Agreements)
Fast-tracked residence for in-demand occupations on INZ's Green List.
Pro fees $2.5k–$6k · INZ $4,290